Think Atheist2017-08-18T05:16:00ZRandom Cairenehttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/Heliumhttp://api.ning.com:80/files/1sb3nU2A-L9v3HYBQ14b3AcCneOP5tDa4551Kb-FpzeM2WyTj-rKC8Yr7o6OxmDF3mg77Goedd37YiUpzuw8Yliq5mTyqRip/1276179898.jpeg?xgip=0%3A16%3A260%3A260%3B%3B&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1http://www.thinkatheist.com/forum/topic/listForContributor?user=12yko3qobv19q&feed=yes&xn_auth=noProof Near Death Experiences may in fact be realtag:www.thinkatheist.com,2017-08-14:1982180:Topic:16317342017-08-14T22:56:11.537ZRandom Cairenehttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/Helium
<p>Today another user on a different forum cited these facts about NDEs. I want to know if this gives a Near Death Experience more credence:</p>
<p></p>
<p>Here are some arguments against current scientific ideas about Near Death Experiences:<br></br>First, Lack of Oxygen to the brain:<br></br>Hogan: Lack of oxygen causes stupor without memories of the experience. People experiencing NDEs report enhanced consciousness not stupor and they remember their NDE. "Dr. Fred Schoonmaker, a cardiologist from…</p>
<p>Today another user on a different forum cited these facts about NDEs. I want to know if this gives a Near Death Experience more credence:</p>
<p></p>
<p>Here are some arguments against current scientific ideas about Near Death Experiences:<br/>First, Lack of Oxygen to the brain:<br/>Hogan: Lack of oxygen causes stupor without memories of the experience. People experiencing NDEs report enhanced consciousness not stupor and they remember their NDE. "Dr. Fred Schoonmaker, a cardiologist from Denver, had by 1979 carried out investigations of over 2,000 patients who had suffered cardiac arrests, many of whom reported NDEs. His findings showed that NDEs occurred when there was no deprivation of oxygen." The primary features of acceleration-induced hypoxia, however, are myoclonic convulsions (rhythmic jerking of the limbs), impaired memory for events just prior to the onset of unconsciousness, tingling in the extremities and around the mouth, confusion and disorientation upon awakening, and paralysis, symptoms that do not occur in association with NDEs. Moreover, contrary to NDEs, the visual images Whinnery reported frequently included living people, but never deceased people; and no life review or accurate out-of-body perceptions have been reported in acceleration-induced loss of consciousness.</p>
<p>Parnia raises another problem: When oxygen levels decrease markedly, patients whose lungs or hearts do not work properly experience an “acute confusional state,” during which they are highly confused and agitated and have little or no memory recall. In stark contrast, during NDEs people experience lucid consciousness, well-structured thought processes, and clear reasoning.</p>
<p>Next: Brain activity</p>
<p>NDEs cannot be caused by brain activity during CPR because CPR patients report confusion and amnesia while NDErs report lucid experiences. NDEs often begin before CPR is administered and the quality of consciousness and the pattern of events in NDEs does not change once CPR is started. Also, if consciousness in NDEs is caused by CPR, the patients should remember the pain of compressions and cracked ribs that sometimes occur during CPR, but NDErs do not feel the pain from CPR.</p>
<p>Finally, according to a Neurosurgeon named Greenfield: ""It’s very unlikely that a hypoperfused brain (someone with no blood flow to the brain), with no evidence of electrical activity could generate NDEs. Human studies as well as animal studies have typically shown very little brain perfusion (blood flow) or glucose utilization when the EEG is flat. There are deep brain areas involved in generating memories that might still operate at some very reduced level during cardiac arrest, but of course any subcortically generated activity can’t be brought to consciousness without at least one functioning cerebral hemisphere. So even if there were some way that NDEs were generated during the hypoxic state (while the brain is shut off from oxygen), you would not experience them until reperfusion (blood flow) allowed you to dream them or wake up and talk about them."</p>
<p>What do atheists have to say about these arguments for an afterlife?</p> Belieftag:www.thinkatheist.com,2017-06-20:1982180:Topic:16298592017-06-20T17:59:21.126ZRandom Cairenehttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/Helium
<p>It seems that I feel myself to be a GNOSTIC ATHEIST. Despite not being able conclusively to say there is NO god, I so strongly don't believe in one-or any-I just don't believe that one is possible. Just superstitious nonsense written in various books. It's all crap. That is how feel and wish I had more allies.</p>
<p>It seems that I feel myself to be a GNOSTIC ATHEIST. Despite not being able conclusively to say there is NO god, I so strongly don't believe in one-or any-I just don't believe that one is possible. Just superstitious nonsense written in various books. It's all crap. That is how feel and wish I had more allies.</p> Moving to atheistzone.com soontag:www.thinkatheist.com,2017-06-01:1982180:Topic:16284782017-06-01T18:47:24.949ZRandom Cairenehttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/Helium
<p>We are moving to <a href="https://atheistzone.com/" target="_blank">atheistzone.com</a> again. Some of you might have already registered at atheistzone.com. Please test your credentials at <a href="https://atheistzone.com/" target="_blank">atheistzone.com</a>. If you have forgotten your password, please reset it. If you have have forgotten your username, please check the emails you received from atheistzone.com or contact us via …</p>
<p>We are moving to <a href="https://atheistzone.com/" target="_blank">atheistzone.com</a> again. Some of you might have already registered at atheistzone.com. Please test your credentials at <a href="https://atheistzone.com/" target="_blank">atheistzone.com</a>. If you have forgotten your password, please reset it. If you have have forgotten your username, please check the emails you received from atheistzone.com or contact us via <a href="https://atheistzone.com/contact-page/" target="_blank">https://atheistzone.com/contact-page/</a>.</p> Agnosticismtag:www.thinkatheist.com,2017-06-01:1982180:Topic:16284752017-06-01T16:49:56.847ZRandom Cairenehttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/Helium
<p>I feel that agnotisicm is the personification of PASCAL'S WAGER.</p>
<p>I feel that agnotisicm is the personification of PASCAL'S WAGER.</p> I'm not an atheist anymore...tag:www.thinkatheist.com,2017-06-01:1982180:Topic:16284702017-06-01T02:29:03.780ZRandom Cairenehttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/Helium
I'm not really sure if I ever was. But now more than ever I am convinced there is a God...I have been on the fence a long time but now it is super clear to me.
I'm not really sure if I ever was. But now more than ever I am convinced there is a God...I have been on the fence a long time but now it is super clear to me. Alex J O'Connortag:www.thinkatheist.com,2017-05-31:1982180:Topic:16281742017-05-31T23:18:57.987ZRandom Cairenehttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/Helium
<p><iframe width="456" height="256" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/E6yH0QgwR6Q?wmode=opaque" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</p>
<p><iframe width="456" height="256" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/E6yH0QgwR6Q?wmode=opaque" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</p> Pattern recognition post revivedtag:www.thinkatheist.com,2017-05-30:1982180:Topic:16281592017-05-30T01:38:28.376ZRandom Cairenehttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/Helium
<p><em>Pattern recognition</em><br></br> <em>Posted by (name deleted) on May 23, 2017 at 9:17pm in Small Talk</em></p>
<p><em>Curious as to others thoughts &amp; opinions on the fact that we base ones intelligence in some part in pattern recognition and the quicker you can see a conclusion from a pattern and be correct in that conclusion would seem to me that it is a basic survival technique. If a god existed would it be necessary to do so, if things were to happen as a "god" dictates then we could…</em></p>
<p><em>Pattern recognition</em><br/> <em>Posted by (name deleted) on May 23, 2017 at 9:17pm in Small Talk</em></p>
<p><em>Curious as to others thoughts &amp; opinions on the fact that we base ones intelligence in some part in pattern recognition and the quicker you can see a conclusion from a pattern and be correct in that conclusion would seem to me that it is a basic survival technique. If a god existed would it be necessary to do so, if things were to happen as a "god" dictates then we could not trust in pattern recognition.</em></p>
<p>This discussion was mysteriously closed for reasons unknown, but I wish to continue it with this thought:</p>
<p>"Pattern recognition" is a term that comes to us from The Department of Redundancy Department because is there any other way to recognize something beyond recognizing a pattern?</p> Atheist undercovertag:www.thinkatheist.com,2017-05-28:1982180:Topic:16282192017-05-28T02:04:20.104ZRandom Cairenehttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/Helium
<p>Here we are again, in Ramadan in my country. For those who do not know much about Islam, Ramadan is a month in the year when Muslims must fast from the dawn period to the sun setting period. As a secret atheist, I have to do such thing in order to keep my real thoughts a secret. So my question here, did any of you were forced to be involved in any religious practices in order to hide your atheist identity? </p>
<p>Here we are again, in Ramadan in my country. For those who do not know much about Islam, Ramadan is a month in the year when Muslims must fast from the dawn period to the sun setting period. As a secret atheist, I have to do such thing in order to keep my real thoughts a secret. So my question here, did any of you were forced to be involved in any religious practices in order to hide your atheist identity? </p> Prayer and hymns at Hallsville High Graduationtag:www.thinkatheist.com,2017-05-26:1982180:Topic:16282992017-05-26T21:18:13.638ZRandom Cairenehttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/Helium
<p>Hi everyone,<br></br><br></br>I really just joined to share this information with you. I actually live in California, but my roommate is from Texas and he flew home to attend his daughter's graduation tonight. <br></br><br></br>He texted me this morning that the graduation ceremony includes a prayer and there's lots of hymns and praise music being played during the ceremony. <br></br><br></br>I was shocked! So he got up the nerve to ask the superintendent about it and he told him that as long as a student leads…</p>
<p>Hi everyone,<br/><br/>I really just joined to share this information with you. I actually live in California, but my roommate is from Texas and he flew home to attend his daughter's graduation tonight. <br/><br/>He texted me this morning that the graduation ceremony includes a prayer and there's lots of hymns and praise music being played during the ceremony. <br/><br/>I was shocked! So he got up the nerve to ask the superintendent about it and he told him that as long as a student leads the prayer, it's ok. <br/><br/>So I looked up some laws on google and I don't think he's right. So I wrote to the local Longview paper and 3 of the news stations, although I don't expect to hear back from them. Here's what I said: <br/><br/></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Hi, writing from California. I was just talking to a friend who has a child graduating from Hallsville High School today. He said that there will be a student prayer and that they will be playing praise songs and hymns during the ceremony. It’s my understanding that the Superintendent said that if a student leads the prayer it’s ok. (see below)</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">I believe this kind of activity in a public school is against the law, is it not? Doesn't the Education Code 25.901 say that a student only has a right to "individually, voluntarily, and silently pray or meditate in a nondisruptive manner?" According to this page which talks about "Public Prayer in Public Schools Laws" it says, </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">The federal and state governments are prevented from endorsing or opposing any religion, or no religion at all. Because public schools are government entities, this means that they are not allowed to favor or oppose religion as well. Part of this prohibition includes forcing students to engage in a public prayer . The school-sanctioned prayer does not have to be aligned with any religion to be impermissible, because forcing an atheist student to pray violates his or her First Amendment rights.</span></p>
<p class="p3"><span class="s2"><a href="http://statelaws.findlaw.com/texas-law/texas-prayer-in-public-schools-laws.html">http://statelaws.findlaw.com/texas-law/texas-prayer-in-public-schools-laws.html</a></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">If you read the “Overview of Governing Constitutional Principles,” it says, "Accordingly, the First Amendment forbids religious activity that is </span><span class="s2"><b>sponsored by the government</b></span><span class="s1"> but protects religious activity that is </span><span class="s2"><b>initiated by private individuals</b></span><span class="s1">, and the line between government-sponsored and privately initiated religious expression is vital to a proper understanding of the First Amendment's scope.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">A student leading the prayer doesn’t mean that the school didn’t sponsor it. And what about students from other religions that have to participate at their graduation with these likely “Christian” traditions going on around them?</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Why is this archaic and insensitive behavior still happening in Texas public schools?</span></p> Pattern recognitiontag:www.thinkatheist.com,2017-05-24:1982180:Topic:16278722017-05-24T01:17:53.326ZRandom Cairenehttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/Helium
<p>Curious as to others thoughts &amp; opinions on the fact that we base ones intelligence in some part in pattern recognition and the quicker you can see a conclusion from a pattern and be correct in that conclusion would seem to me that it is a basic survival technique. If a god existed would it be necessary to do so, if things were to happen as a "god" dictates then we could not trust in pattern recognition.</p>
<p>Curious as to others thoughts &amp; opinions on the fact that we base ones intelligence in some part in pattern recognition and the quicker you can see a conclusion from a pattern and be correct in that conclusion would seem to me that it is a basic survival technique. If a god existed would it be necessary to do so, if things were to happen as a "god" dictates then we could not trust in pattern recognition.</p>